399 Edgware Road/Former Oriental City in the London Borough of Brent Planning Application No 12/2166
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planning report PDU/ 0859b/01 19 December 2012 399 Edgware Road/Former Oriental City in the London Borough of Brent planning application no 12/2166 Strategic planning application stage 1 referral (new powers) Town & Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended); Greater London Authority Acts 1999 and 2007; Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 The proposal A hybrid planning application for the demolition of all existing buildings and structures and comprehensive mixed-use development comprising: Full planning permission (phase 1) for comprehensive mixed-use development comprising fill planning permission erection of 7,817 sq.m. gross external area (GEA) Class A1 foodstore with associated service and delivery yard; 5,207 sq.m. GEA of New Oriental and Far Eastern Floorspace (OFEF) to include shops, financial and professional services, restaurants and cafes, drinking establishments, hot food takeaways, and non-residential institutions . Outline planning permission (phase 2 and 3) comprising residential floorspace (class C3, accompanied by illustrative residential accommodation schedule indicating 183 residential units); associated car parking spaces, associated landscaping and new vehicular access from Airco Close (phase 2, all matters reserved) and two form entry primary school and nursery (class D1, all matters reserved). The applicant The applicant is Development Securities, and the agent is Quod. Strategic issues The main strategic issues are the development of out of centre retail and the provision of affordable housing and a new primary school. Other issues that need to be addressed before the application is referred back to the mayor at stage two relate to urban design, children’s playspace, inclusive access, climate change mitigation, noise, air quality, employment and training and transport Recommendation That Brent Council be advised that while the application is generally acceptable in strategic planning terms the application does not comply with the London Plan, but that the possible remedies set out in paragraph 154 of this report could address these deficiencies. S:\Planning Decisions\Cases\0859b\Stage 1 page 1 Context 1 On 9 November 2012 the Mayor of London received documents from Brent Council notifying him of a planning application of potential strategic importance to develop the above site for the above uses. Under the provisions of The Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 the Mayor has until 19 December 2012 to provide the Council with a statement setting out whether he considers that the application complies with the London Plan, and his reasons for taking that view. The Mayor may also provide other comments. This report sets out information for the Mayor’s use in deciding what decision to make. 2 The application is referable under Category 1A and 1B of the Schedule to the Order 2008: 1A: Development of more than 150 residential units. 1B(c): Development outside Central London and with a floorspace of more than 15,000 sq.m. 3 Once Brent Council has resolved to determine the application, it is required to refer it back to the Mayor for his decision as to whether to direct refusal; take it over for his own determination; or allow the Council to determine it itself. 4 The environmental information for the purposes of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011 has been taken into account in the consideration of this case. 5 The Mayor of London’s statement on this case will be made available on the GLA website www.london.gov.uk. Site description 6 The 2.87 hectare site is located on the A5 Edgware road and is occupied by vacant buildings formerly used by Oriental City shopping centre. The site is bounded by ASDA foodstore to the north, Edgware Road to the east, Grove Park the south, and a new housing development to the west. 7 The nearest sections of the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN) are the A406 and the A41 at a distance of 3 and 2 km away respectively. The A5 Edgware Road is part of the Strategic Road Network (SRN). Though this development is wholly within the Borough of Brent, the A5 in this particular location corresponds to the boundary with Barnet. The site is adjacent to the Colindale Opportunity Area. 8 Colindale Underground station is located approximately 800m east of the site, providing services on the Northern Line. There are five bus routes (32, 142, 204, 292 and 303) that operate on the Edgware Road with bus stops directly outside the site. As such, the site records a public transport accessibility level (PTAL) level of 3 (where 6 is the highest and 1 the lowest) which indicates a moderate level of accessibility to and from the site. Details of the proposal 9 A hybrid planning application for the demolition of all existing buildings and structures and comprehensive mixed-use development comprising: 10 Full planning permission (phase 1) for comprehensive mixed-use development comprising fill planning permission erection of 7,817 sq.m. gross external area (GEA) Class A1 foodstore with associated service and delivery yard; 5,207 sq.m. GEA of New Oriental and Far Eastern Floorspace S:\Planning Decisions\Cases\0859b\Stage 1 page 2 (OFEF) to include shops, financial and professional services, restaurants and cafes, drinking establishments, hot food takeaways, and non-residential institutions (class A1,A2, A3, A4, A5, B1 and D1); podium slab along Airco Close; a site-wide energy centre; associated car parking spaces; motorcycle parking spaces and cycle parking spaces; associated landscaping and public realm works; new vehicular access from Grove Park and vehicular access from Plaza Walk and associated highway works. 11 Outline planning permission (phase 2 and 3) comprising residential floorspace (class C3, accompanied by illustrative residential accommodation schedule indicating 183 residential units); associated car parking spaces, associated landscaping and new vehicular access from Airco Close (phase 2, all matters reserved) and two form entry primary school and nursery (class D1, all matters reserved). The masterplan layout consists of: A Morrison Supermarket above a car park adjoined to an Oriental City restaurant with food court at the upper level. The supermarket will have an entrance atrium to access the store and the Oriental City will have a restaurant and food court entrance both facing onto Edgware Road. Between these two elements is a proposed pedestrian entrance to the customer car park. Adjoining the supermarket and oriental restaurant/food court is a residential development of apartments and townhouses on a raised platform which include an Asian goods retail mall on the ground floor facing Edgware Road with ground floor residential car park behind. The raised residential platform is defined by apartment blocks on Edgware Road, Grove Park and the corner of Plaza Walk. The raised platform block creates what is defined as a home zone of town houses with single aspect units backing onto the supermarket servicing area. A primary school is to be located on the platform – the site to be developed by Brent Council. This creates a public square in the south of the site with the school entrance defining an edge to the public space. A wide landscaped pavement area for possible market use on Edgware Road with staircase/ramp link to the raised residential platform and linkage through to Grove Park. Customer and servicing car access from Plaza Walk and a further customer retail access from Grove Park via an underground link. Approximately 368 shared car parking spaces for all of the retail on the site. Approximately 183 private car parking spaces for residential units. Case history 12 The former Mayor initially considered an application for the existing permission on 15 March 2007 (PDU/0859/01) for redevelopment to provide 28,566 sq.m. retail (comprising replacement Oriental City, new DIY store and new furniture store), 520 residential units, 9,832 sq.m. nursery/primary school and health and fitness centre, 1,069 car parking spaces, and associated landscaping and servicing, located in eight blocks, rising to seventeen storeys. Following the Council’s resolution to grant permission, on 1 August 2008 (PDU/0859/02). The S:\Planning Decisions\Cases\0859b\Stage 1 page 3 former Mayor concluded that he was content for the Council to determine the case themselves and did not direct refusal. 13 On 13 April 2010 the Mayor of London was consulted on the renewal of the existing planning permission, which was referable under categories 1A, 1B 1C and 3F of the Schedule to the Order 2008. Having regard to the Government guidance set out in ‘Greater flexibility for planning permissions’ it did not raise any new strategic planning issues that were not previously considered (PDU/ 0859a/JAC01. Strategic planning issues and relevant policies and guidance 14 The relevant issues and corresponding policies are as follows: Economic development London Plan; the Mayor’s Economic Development Strategy; Employment Action Plan Housing London Plan; Housing SPG; Housing Strategy; draft Revised Housing Strategy; Providing for Children and Young People’s Play and Informal Recreation SPG Affordable housing London Plan; Housing SPG; draft Affordable Housing SPG; Housing Strategy; draft Revised Housing Strategy; draft Early Minor Alteration to the London Plan Density London Plan; Housing SPG Urban design London Plan; Mix of uses London Plan Regeneration London Plan; the Mayor’s Economic Development Strategy Transport London Plan; the Mayor’s